Background
Hello! This page is designed to give you a basic introduction to the concept of the Loops, as well as help outline some of the terminology used. History of Yggdrasil and The Loops No-one knows what caused the initial problem with Yggdrasil. All that is known is that at some point in the multiverse's "past", Yggdrasil was damaged. In order to stabilize the various universes, they were put into a "safe-mode" of sorts, where time is looped during an important portion of the universes time-line. Originally, seven universes were started looping: Ranma 1/2, Harry Potter, Naruto, Bleach, Evangelion, Sailor Moon, and Slayers. The exact timing when each of these universes started is debatable, but they are the first. Other universes followed afterwards. Later in the Loops, an event happened termed The Crash. This event was caused due to a failed Fused Loop between the Megaman universe and an unknown universe. This event caused wide-spread repercussions through various universes, starting some universes looping prematurely and starting some characters looping in established universes, among other effects. Loop Terminology The following is a dictionary of sorts to various terms that pop up in the Loops. *'Administrator ': Or Admin for short. Also known as 'Gods', these upper dimensional immortals are the ones responsible for the maintenance of the Loops and repairs to Yggdrasil. *'Anchor': The looper who holds down their reality and allows it to repeat in a time loop. At least one Anchor is needed to run a Loop iteration. *'Awake': The state of being aware that time has repeated, as well as retaining memories and skill from previous Loops. *'Baseline': Also known as the 'prime' Loop. Such Loops are effectively identical to 'canon' until Awake loopers change things. *'Branch': A section of Yggdrasil that contains a specific reality's baseline and all variants thereof. Also referred to as a 'Loop' at times. *'Co-Anchor': A being soul-bonded to an Anchor and brought along into the Loops with them for stability purposes. *'Co-Looper': A similar state to Co-Anchor, but without either party being an Anchor. *'Dreaming': An extremely rare state where an individual can partially or totally access memories from a Loop where they were not Awake. Often without actually being Awake themselves. *'Fused Loops': Iterations that contain elements of two or more distinct branches from the beginning. This can range from non-native loopers visiting the setting to a full merging of elements from all involved realities. *'Hub': The 'trunk' of Yggdrasil and our reality. The Hub is what the Anchors are connected to and in this way it Anchors the entire multiverse. It's also the primary backup data storage for the rest of Yggdrasil. This backup data causes Hub natives to write fiction about those realities. *'Joint Anchors': Two or more unbonded Anchors holding down a single section of their branch. An extremely rare configuration, and generally not done if other options are available. *'Jumpstart': A method of getting a non-Looping universe Looping by creating a Fused Loop involving an already Looping universe. A partially successful attempt to jumpstart the Mega Man universe was responsible for the Crash. *'Linked Loops': A branch that is not stable enough to be held down by a single Anchor. The branch is divided into sections, either along temporal or dimensional lines, each with their own Anchor. Linked Loops frequently run in tandem allowing some measure of shared continuity between them. *'Loop-Aware': Otherwise Unawake entities who are able to independently determine that the time loops are, in fact, happening. Local non-admin-level deities are the most common of these. (i.e. If it isn't real world mythology) *'Loop crash': Not to be confused with the Crash. A Loop terminates in a way that produces minor problems in the system that the local admin then has to deal with. Not a big issue, but it means paperwork. Local paradoxes, system glitches, and overly energetic premature terminations are the main causes. Often results in a Safe-Mode loop or a Hogwarts fused Loop. *'Looper': Any being who is Awake to the Loops, retaining memories and abilities from one to the next. This designation includes, but is not limited to, Anchors. *'Looping Artifact': A sentient object that is looping. Such artifacts are effectively impossible to duplicate in the Loops. While alternate versions can show up for specific iterations, they can't really be taken past the end of that iteration, even in a subspace pocket. Known looping artifacts are the Triforce and Caliburn (aka the One True Excalibur). *'Loops ': The sections of time across the multiverse that repeat over and over again. They are a last ditch failsafe to keep reality from collapsing while repairs are made. *'Loop Iteration': A single instance of repeated time. Generally just called a Loop for short. *'Premature Termination': A Loop iteration ending prior to its designated end point. Often due to the death of the Anchor but not always. *'Quarantined': Areas of Yggdrasil that are, for whatever reason, flat out dangerous to the stability of visiting loopers or the multiverse at large. For whatever reason, they can't just be set to Read-Only. Homestuck is one of the most infamous examples (and also one of the few worlds to later be unquarantined). *'Read-Only': The absolute last resort to keep a branch relatively stable. Used when setting the branch to looping either just doesn't work or is a bad idea. ** Certain items (most notably those that allow time travel) are also designated Read-Only, preventing them from operating outside their native universe (or in some cases, even being removed from it by visiting Loopers), even if that world is Looping. *'Replacement': A relatively common phenomenon where a looper, or even an Unawake being, takes the place of someone other than themselves either in their home Loop or in a different Loop. Sometimes the one they replace ends up replacing them as well, but not always. Unawake beings of course have no knowledge of a different life when this happens to them. *'Safe-Mode Server': A branch where looper powers are repressed and only abilities native to the iteration variant are allowed while it runs. They are effectively uncrashable. Some are well-liked and often booked in advance when a branch needs routine maintenance. Others, like the infamous Eiken, are generally disliked and are typically used as punishment Loops when loopers do something that causes their admin extra work. A specific iteration is generally referred to as a Safe-Mode loop. *'Sakura Syndrome': A rare state of mind where a looper is convinced that none of their actions will have any consequences past the current loop, including interactions with other loopers, combined with a general disregard for restrictions or laws (of morality or otherwise). This can lead to traumatic experiences for those interacting with them, especially the loopers who have to remember it. Difficult, but possible, to play for laughs. (Don't try it) Named for Sakura Haruno from Naruto, who is the biggest example of this state of mind. *'Setsuna Syndrome': Another thankfully rare state of mind where the individual is convinced that a specific sequence of events will 'cure' what is wrong with the universe and makes efforts to railroad those events into place. Effectively the opposite of Sakura Syndrome in a sense, and a mindset loopers tend to abandon once informed about the nature of the Loops by their local admin or another more experienced looper. As such, this condition is generally attributed to local Loop Aware entities with 'preservation of the timeline' on their agenda and a hefty dislike for the derailing shenanigans loopers often get up to. Named for Setsuna Meiou, aka Sailor Pluto, from Sailor Moon who is one of the earliest recurring examples of this mindset. Her looping self has abandoned it, but Unawake versions of her still display it to varying degrees from time to time. *'Stable Branch': A branch of Yggdrasil undamaged enough that it requires no native Anchor (though an Anchor is still needed to run an iteration of it). Several are used as Safe-Mode servers. *'Stealth Looper': Also known as a Phantom Looper or Ghost Looper, this refers to the practice of a looper not drawing attention to themselves and being mistaken for an Unawake version of themselves or simply not being noticed at all. Done with varying degrees of success, the practice is most noticeable when the Anchor for an iteration manages to remain undiscovered before the end, leading to Loops that at first glance do not contain an Awake Anchor. The most famous of these are the Star Trek Anchors, as no one has managed to produce proof that they're looping at all. *'Subspace Pocket': A common ability for loopers and the only way to keep items that are not soul-bonded to you. Size varies between loopers. Some of the oldest loopers are purported to contain whole solar systems in theirs. *'Tandem Run': Two or more individual Loop iterations running 'side by side' or 'in sequence' in such a way that crossing from one to the other while the iteration is active is possible. The standard set-up for Linked Loops, but places that have baseline crossovers with other branches also do this on occasion. *'Traveling Looper' : A looper who has a significantly higher than average number of Loops outside their home branch. The most well-known traveling looper is Jenny Everywhere, who has no known home Loop, having only looped into fused variants of other branches. *'Unawake': A general designation for all beings who do not retain memories from past Loops. *'Vacation Loop': a loop instance where one or more loopers declare a vacation from the baseline. Generally this involves the looper(s) taking time of to relieve stress or relax. Sometimes involves massive plot derailment, and little to no holding back on anything that gets in their way. Other times involves a complete refusal to play along with events by taking a literal vacation instead. *'Variant Loop': A Loop iteration that differs in some way from the baseline even before the actions of Awake loopers are taken into account. Some differences are more obvious than others. *'Yggdrasil': The divine supercomputer/tree that runs all of reality across the entire multiverse. It's been damaged in a mysterious event whose exact nature and cause is unknown. Category:Overview